Updated February 27th 2025
Tons of breastfeeding moms cut out dairy. Whether they think (or know) their baby has an allergy or an intolerance, many of the moms I work with are worried a food is contributing to their breastfeeding challenges. And if a baby does have an allergy or an intolerance to something you’re eating, it’s to the protein in that food.
Here’s a popular example (and specific to this post) – dairy. If a baby has a dairy intolerance, it’s to the protein in the cows milk not the lactose. Baby’s are born with the ability to digest lactose because lactose is the primary carbohydrate (energy source) in human milk. Lactose intolerance in babies is exceptionally rare and is a genetic defect in metabolism. It’s called galactosemia and happens in about 1 in 50,000 live births. So while it’s true that your baby can have an allergy or an intolerance to something you’re eating, it’s not likely to be a lactose intolerance.
Is it really dairy, or something else?
The other aspect to consider is understanding normal newborn behaviour. Behaviours like fussing, crying, grunting and waking frequently are normal newborn behaviours. You want to know if what your baby is experiencing is related to a food OR their functional ability to feed (or something else) BEFORE you start eliminating foods, especially ones you may love! This is where an IBCLC can help you sort through what’s happening with your baby and help you determine if it’s related to a food or not. But for this post, I’m focusing on YOU and what happens nutritionally, when you remove dairy from your diet.
Let’s look at dairy from a nutrition perspective
Nutritionally, dairy is a source of calories, fat, protein, and vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, B12, Calcium, Iron and Iodine. So when you cut out an entire food group like dairy, you need to ADD foods to make up for it because your nutrient needs when you’re postpartum and breastfeeding are higher than pregnancy.
Reducing calories and protein postpartum can also slow down your healing and recovery process as well as impact your milk supply. Protein is the building block of our tissues so when your body is physically recovering which may include healing from surgery (a c-section birth), incisions (c-section, episiotomy) or tearing – even a mild “scrape” – your body NEEDS protein.
Protein as well as eating enough calories are also important for your milk supply. Your breastmilk is made from your body so you’re quite literally still growing your baby when you’re breastfeeding. This takes energy! It takes about 20 calories on average to produce 1 ounce (30mL) of breastmilk. The average baby over 4 weeks eats about 25 oz (750mL) or more in 24 hours. This is why the average requirement when lactating is an extra 500 calories per day.
So what can you add?
Sesame seeds
Why? Sesame seeds are a good source of calcium which is a well known mineral in milk. The calcium levels in your breastmilk will stay consistent no matter what you eat. How is that possible you ask, especially if you’ve cut out a source of calcium? Your body will take it from your bones! So adding calcium source to your diet like sesame seeds or tofu (see below) will help! Sesame seeds are also a source of fat and protein helping to replace lost calories.
You can add sesame seeds via homemade protein balls, adding to smoothies or dips, sprinkling them on your lunches or dinners . There’s so many possibilities!
Eggs
When you think about an egg, it has all the nutrition needed to sustain life. Eggs are a source of vitamin D and B12, two vitamins that are also found in dairy. In addition eggs are a good source of protein and fat, replacing lost calories when dairy is eliminated. Eggs are also an excellent source of choline, a nutrient needed for you baby’s brain development.
Frittatas and egg cups are an easy postpartum breakfast or snack. If you don’t like eggs on their own you can eat them via muffins or pancakes.
Salmon
This amazing fatty fish is a source of vitamin D as well as protein and iodine. Additionally it’s a great source of omega 3 fats – essential for building your baby’s brain and protecting your postpartum mental health.
Salmon cakes are an easy way to eat this type of fish. You can also make salmon bowls with some rice or quinoa, cucumber, mango, carrots, sesame and soy.
Red meat
An excellent source of iron as well as B12, fat and protein. I have a recipe for meatballs as well as a steak stir fry inside my Blood Building Blueprint for pregnancy; a free guide to boosting your iron and energy levels. Download it here.
Tofu
A plant based source of protein and calcium. You want to look for one that is organic as soy is a crop heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Tofu is quite versatile. Marinating it helps give it flavour. If you’re not ready to try it on it’s own, find recipes using a soft or silken tofu as it can be easily baked into muffins.
Kelp
This sea veggie is a rich source of minerals including iodine. Iodine is needed for proper thyroid function which can begin to affect your milk supply and hormones if you don’t have enough postpartum.
Sea veggies can be sprinkled onto your meals, added to soups or broths as well as eaten in sheets commonly called “seaweed snacks”.
Is dairy free possible while breastfeeding?
You can absolutely eat a dairy free diet when breastfeeding AND have it be nutrient dense to support your postpartum recovery and milk supply. This is exactly why I have a food first approach in my practice. We focus on ADDING foods to increase the nutrition. Even if a food needs to be eliminated because of an allergy, I look at what foods my client can easily incorporate into their busy life to meet their nutritional needs to have more energy, less brain fog and enjoy their pregnancies and postpartum.
Want to take the next step towards your postpartum or pregnancy nutrition?
Download my FREE Blood Building Blueprint
You don’t have to accept ‘being tired’ as just part of having a baby
This blueprint is your how-to when it comes to boosting your iron and energy levels. I’ll walk you through:
✅ why iron is so important in each trimester
✅ what foods you can eat to get more iron (including recipes!)
✅ and how to put this into practice in your day-to-day life
References:
Berry GT. Classic Galactosemia and Clinical Variant Galactosemia. 2000 Feb 4 [Updated 2021 Mar 11]. In: Adam MP, Feldman J, Mirzaa GM, et al., editors. GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2025. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1518/